Xcaret Park sent a puma specimen to the Miguel Álvarez del Toro Regional Zoo, in exchange for a crocodile. (@SemahnChiapas)

The Miguel Álvarez del Toro Regional Zoo (ZooMAT) in Chiapas and the xcaret park carried out an exchange of wild animals, which were kept under strict human care. This action was agreed between states and institutions to strengthen conservation work, strengthening their spaces and environmental education programs.

In this context, ZooMAT has received from Xcaret a copy of puma (concolor puma), it is a female named “Chaka”, which was successfully transported from Quintana Roo by specialized personnel, being housed in a temporary off-exhibition enclosure to comply with the quarantine and packaging process, and in the near future it will be incorporated into the Chiapas Zoo.

Resulting from this exchange, Xcaret received a marsh crocodile (Crocodylus moreletii), a male specimen that was transported overland by ZooMAT staff in a wooden container so that it would not suffer any type of damage and stress. The reptile is about 2.90 meters long and is called “down”. Note that this crocodile was rescued in 2015, in coordination with the Federal Prosecutor for Environmental Protection (PROFEPA). Since then, Foncho has been sheltered in the Crocodile Museum waiting for a suitable destination according to its gender.

Foncho remains in a temporary enclosure in order to fulfill his mandatory quarantine period, to then be integrated into the couple who are already waiting for him.

Xcaret received a marsh crocodile, a male specimen that was transferred overland by ZooMAT staff.  (@SemahnChiapas)
Xcaret received a marsh crocodile, a male specimen that was transferred overland by ZooMAT staff. (@SemahnChiapas)

The most important characteristics of the marsh crocodile are as follows, it is distinguished by its average size between 3 and 3.5 meters. The young at birth measure between 25 and 30 cm, the head is flattened and wide, the muzzle short and rounded at the end. According to the Yucatán state government, there are records in the states of Chiapas, Campeche, ColimaSan Luis Potosi, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Quintana RooYucatán, Veracruz and as an introduced species in Sinaloa.

“It is considered fresh water primarily from swamps, ponds or wetlands, streams, swamps, lagoons, slow-flowing rivers as well as cenotes and springs, and rarely from powerful rivers, there are some records of fishermen, who speak of the presence of this crocodile in brackish waters”.

According to the Mexican government and Profepa, the Puma concolor or better known as puma, puma or american lion It belongs to the Felinae subfamily, they are solitary animals and perform their activities after sunset. The puma is, after the jaguar, the largest feline in America. It inhabits all kinds of vegetation in the country, from sea level to 4,000 m altitude.

The ZooMAT has received from Xcaret a female cougar specimen named
ZooMAT received a female cougar specimen named “Chaká” from Xcaret. (@SemahnChiapas)

They are characterized by being agile and slender, with a round head and upright ears; They have 5 retractable claws on their forelegs and only 4 on their hind legs. When they reach adulthood, they show shaded tawny tones of grey, red or brown on their backs, with the ventral region usually being more clear.

The habitat of this feline is spread all over the continent in different ecosystems such as forests, deserts, jungles, and snow-capped mountains. In Mexico, they predominate in Aguascalientes, Michoacán, Durango, Coahuila, Chihuahua, Baja California, Baja California Sur and Yucatan.

The two main threats to the species are poaching (whether due to illicit trafficking, for the use of its skin or for religious purposes) and the destruction of its habitat due to urbanization.

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